While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.
Looking at the history of these trends, perhaps none is more beloved than value investing. This strategy simply looks to identify companies that are being undervalued by the broader market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.
Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.
One stock to keep an eye on is 3M (MMM). MMM is currently holding a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) and a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with P/E ratio of 10.83 right now. For comparison, its industry sports an average P/E of 20.01. Over the last 12 months, MMM's Forward P/E has been as high as 13.84 and as low as 8.97, with a median of 11.23.
We also note that MMM holds a PEG ratio of 1.48. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. MMM's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.82. MMM's PEG has been as high as 1.65 and as low as 1.09, with a median of 1.28, all within the past year.
These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that 3M is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, MMM feels like a great value stock at the moment.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
